Rural health regulatory Bill kicks up a row

Defying the cautionary note of Left Front, the state government has passed a much contentious Bill in the Assembly today to introduce 'barefoot doctors' in rural Bengal. The proposed West Bengal Health Regulatory Bill, 2009 could not be put to vote as the electronic voting system did not function properly. Speaker Hasim Abdul Halim's effort to get it passed by raising hands was rejected by the Opposition and they walked out of the House. The Bill was passed in the absence of the Opposition.

But, the Front constituents are aghast with the defiance shown by the health minister, Suryakanta Mishra, who initiated the Bill, ignoring the Front's decision. Manoj Bhattacharjee, RSP leader, said, "It was agreed to send it to cold storage at today's Left Front meeting. Accordingly, Biman Bose was entrusted with the task of communicating the decision to the health minister and the Speaker. Yet we saw the health minister paying no heed to that." The reaction of the health minister was not available.

A similar initiative during the first term of Left Front government had failed and was eventually abandoned in 1985.